Theo Van Asten, 77 years old, gets up every day between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and has breakfast with his wife, Lia. They slowly start their day with the morning paper and before you know it, Theo and his wife will be outside working away. In the last four years, Theo has been restoring what was once a 22-acre gravel pit behind his home in Cedar Springs into natural habitat.
Before coming to Canada, Theo lived on a mixed farm in Holland, with cattle, hogs, and chickens. Growing up, he spent most of his time working on the farm with his father and six brothers. His father had a passion for nature and was constantly planting and talking about trees. Theo says that he may have inherited this same passion from his father. He also explains that nature was a part of everyday life there and everyone knew the names of all the local plants and animals.
With a passion for nature, Theo chose to buy the gravel pit behind his home when he heard that it was going to potentially become a wrecking yard – he believed it would look so much better as natural growth. When he first started restoring the property, he was advised by a friend to make a plan to decide what goes where. Instead, Theo just began to plant trees and flowers where it felt right.
As an avid painter, Theo explains that you, “Don’t think too much about [what you are painting], you just do it.” He feels that by just doing it as the feelings come to him, it becomes a very emotional experience and allows for a deep connection with what he is painting. Much in the same way, Theo considers ecological restoration to be an art.
With over 8000 native seedlings, several ponds and flower gardens, the property is quite the tranquil haven and will one day be a masterpiece. Nonetheless, Theo has had to tackle many difficulties in his restoration project. He admits that muskrats and geese have removed many plants and there have been years of drought. However, he persists in caring for the property and addressing problems as they arise.
Theo also says that since the beginning other people have called him crazy. First, when he began planting trees in a gravel pit – he was told that nothing would grow there. And now people see there is growth and ask, “Why bother?” Theo believes that one person can make a difference. He is a “Strong believer in doing something even if it looks small in the total picture.” Others might scratch their heads over his efforts, but Theo believes that “even if no one follows, it makes a difference.”
As I prepared to leave after my interview with Theo, he told me “Don’t get discouraged, because you will always find roadblocks in your way, just jump over it.” I have come to admire Theo’s relentless effort to push forward with his conservation work despite any roadblocks that arise – Theo Van Asten truly embodies what passion and hard work can bring about.